When did you decide that you wanted to work with animals? I feel like I always knew I wanted to work with animals and specifically horses, since I was a little girl. What took me the longest was figuring out how I was going to make actual income doing so! I am a very technical person and love anatomy and alternative/complimentary therapy so instead of riding clinics I started taking clinics for things like equine osteopathy. I've always been a big animal advocate so working with the health of animals was an absolute natural fit for me.

What animal influenced you the most growing up? Definitely the horse. Although I didn't have my own horse until I was 20, I have always had an unexplained natural attachment to them since I was a toddler. I would read any book I could about horses, ride whenever the opportunity presented itself, and always knew my life would revolve around them somehow, and now it absolutely does!

What animals do you currently own? I have two cats (Batman and Sniper), three dogs (Boo, Paisley and Grizzly), four horses (Tuesday, Shotgun, littlebit and Ticket), two miniature donkeys (Patron and Paloma), and also seven step-horses (I run a small boarding facility as well!).

What makes your animal bodywork practice stand out? I personally feel it is my minute attention to detail. I tend to have an eye for tiny signs the horses give us, whether it is a facial expression, a small twitch or tremor, knowing what is normal for each horse, as well as really understanding each individual horse's personality. This attention allows me to quickly observe from a distance when a horse or donkey starts presenting as abnormal. I also feel that my background as an equine first aid instructor really adds value to the prevention and recovery of a horse's ailments.

What message would you like to share with potential clients? The most important wish I have for any horse owner would be that they have a deep and detailed understanding of their individual horse's "normal." Whether that is their vitals, eating habits, travelling patterns, sleeping routines, to their warm up habits, how they take a bit, react to being unsaddled, etc - really observing and knowing how each horse ticks can provide an extremely preventative picture of illness or injury that may just be beginning to present as a symptom. When owners know these key things about their horses, and call us bodyworkers, kinesiology taping practitioners, craniosacral therapists, etc in as soon as they notice a change, we can act as more of a "prehab" instead of rehab. The earlier we can see their horses, the more helpful and preventative our therapies can be.

What message would you like to share with others who are thinking about pursing a career in animal bodywork? Take the plunge! For any animal lover, whether you make a career out of it or not, if you have pets- this knowledge will pay for itself with the care you can provide to your animals yourself. If you do want a career in animal bodywork, I highly recommend Angel's Animals courses to get you there! As a side hustle or a full time gig, the courses and specialties in Angel's Animals classes are an incredible addition to any bodyworker's resume. ​